England Senior Men's displays at Nordic Cup please Loftus

The team took on hosts Denmark and Norway, who were preparing for imminent European Championships qualifying campaigns, as well as a France U22 side, many of whom are getting ready for the U21 World Championships in China. 

Although the team were beaten in all three matches, they took Denmark to five sets and pushed Norway all the way in the first set of the two teams’ encounter. 

“Overall, I was delighted with what I saw from the players, particularly as we travelled with only 12 players,” said Loftus. 

“Our options off the bench were limited a little bit, but we were pretty competitive in the first two matches and it was only in our final game against France where we ran out of steam. 

“The messaging we have given to the players about how we want to play has been pretty consistent, so they all know what to expect, but the lack of preparation compared to our opponents showed. 

“The teams we played have been preparing for six or seven weeks and we have only had a couple of days, so to compete as well as we did was a good effort from the players, who now look more comfortable in this environment.” 

First up, against Norway, England went down 28-26, 25-19, 25-15 but played some good volleyball. 

Loftus said: “We played really well in the first set and got to 20 in the second, but gave up a run in the third set to lose it more easily. 

“Some of the stuff we had been working on we were able to see in the match and the team dynamic was excellent, but they were just a bit better when it mattered. 

“We have been talking about getting comfortable at the end of sets – a lot of times we have been in the 20s and not been able to execute. 

“We have had some good lessons that if you don’t capitalise on your opportunities then the team you are playing at this level can take it up a notch, but we were pleased with what we saw, especially after the long travel.” 

In the Denmark fixture, England twice fought back from a set down to take the home side to a deciding set. 

And while the Danes eventually closed out a narrow 25-11, 23-25, 25-18, 21-25, 15-13 victory, there were plenty of positives from the English team. 

“After the first set we feared the worst as Denmark were incredible with their energy and serving, and we were all a little bit shell-shocked,” said Loftus. 

“But we talked about that they would have to come down from that and when they did then we would have some opportunities, which is what happened. 

“In the fifth set we were there or thereabouts, but they got a double service break early on, and we turned around at 8-5, but we just could not quite get those breaks back. 

“But it was a really enjoyable game played in a great atmosphere – about as high level as we have seen on the programme. 

England’s final game proved to be a little disappointing as they felt the full fury of a France team that featured players who won the FIVB World U19 Championships in 2023 and again earlier this year, going down 25-14, 25-21, 25-13. 

Loftus said: “We had a late finish against Denmark and then played against France early the next day, so we did not have a chance to practice and get the Denmark game out of the system. 

“The guys who started went 7-0 down and it’s hard to go anywhere from there. We tried to change things, but the guys on the bench struggled as well. 

“But France played well and have some very talented and disciplined players. Every one of them plays for a professional team, so it’s understandable that it finished how it did, despite being a really good tournament for us overall.” 

Image courtesy of CEV.